From November 25 to December 10, MAWS will be participating in the international “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).”
The 16 Days campaign is a global effort to increase public education about one of the most devastating human rights crises of our time and build communities of support for survivors of violence.
GBV affects ALL of us. It exists in our homes, in our communities, in our work places – everywhere. Approximately every six days, a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner. (Statistics Canada). GBV costs lives.
Over the next 16 days, MAWS will be sharing an action a day on this website page and on our social media (FB, Instagram, Twitter) that each of us can perform throughout the year to do our part to combat GBV.
To raise awareness of GBV, we’re also hosting a Giveaway Contest on our Instagram: we’re giving away books by internationally acclaimed writers who have shone a light on inequity, abuse & intergenerational trauma.
We’d like to thank McNally Robinson for supporting our 16 Days campaign & providing us the books for the contest!
Manitobans who participate can win one of these books:
- Michelle Good: “Five Little Indians”
- Alicia Elliot: “A Mind Spread Out On The Ground”
- Miriam Toews: “Women Talking”
- Margo Goodhand: “Runaway Wives and Rogue Feminists – The Origins of the Women’s Shelter Movement in Canada”
- Vivek Shraya: “I’m Afraid of Men”
- Dr. Gabor Maté, Daniel Maté: “The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture”
To participate, here’s what you have to do:
(a) Share our “16 Days of Activism” content; (b) Follow our page @maws_mb; (c) Tag 3 friends; (d) a winner will be picked at random!
We will announce the winners of our giveaway contest on Dec 10, Human Rights Day!
It’s on each of us to end this crisis. Come participate in this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against GBV with MAWS — and help us build safer communities for everyone in Manitoba, through education and awareness, allyship and advocacy.
Our Actions for each of the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV:
Day 1: November 25, 2022
November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It is also the start of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV). GBV is one of the most urgent human rights crises facing us today. Today’s action: Believe Survivors
It takes great courage for survivors to disclose experiences of violence or assault. Sexual assault, harassment and abuse can happen anywhere and to anyone, and predators often use their power and influence to control and inflict abuse on those in positions of less power and equality than them. Abusers can threaten survivors with legal, physical and social repercussions to themselves and/or loved ones and pets, and fear of these repercussions, as well as the stigma around abuse, often prevents survivors from speaking out.
Here are some first steps on how to support those affected by GBV:
• Believe survivors. Show them that they’re believed, and treat them with respect and dignity. Make eye contact. Your job is to support them. Make sure you are not putting your assumptions, anger, shock, sadness, or fear first in the conversation.
• Listen actively with compassion, WITHOUT JUDGMENT, and let them lead. Instead of telling them what you would do or what they should do, ask them how you can best support them.
• Don’t rush survivors while they are sharing their story.
• Provide information about available support options, such as counselling.
• If they are looking to get medical help, counselling or seeking to report the violence to the police, support them on their journey.
• Remember that everyone copes with violence differently. They may do things differently than you. That is okay. Be there to support them as they explore what works for them.
Day 2: November 26, 2022
According to the Canadian Femicide Observatory of Justice & Accountability, in the first six months of 2022 alone, 88 women & girls were killed by violence. In 2021, 173 women and girls were killed by violence, mostly by male partners. In 2020, 160 women and girls were killed by violence. Manitoba has some of the highest rates of GBV in Canada.
Manitoba FV shelters and agencies offer more than just safe, emergency spaces for those seeking refuge from abuse. They also offer services such as one-to-one and group counselling, referral services to other community supports, children’s support and counselling, advocacy, and early intervention and prevention services.
FV shelters and agencies have been faced with countless challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. They rely more than ever on the generosity of community donors. Your donations will help your local FV shelter or agency to continue providing uninterrupted services to survivors and victims of violence. You can find a list of provincial FV shelters and agencies here: https://maws.verdawebdesign.ca/about/members-affiliate-members/
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, GBV prevention organizations have been experiencing staffing challenges. They need support, not just for daily operations, but at events, for research initiatives, and the various community-based projects they’re involved in. Take the opportunity during these 16 Days of Activism to contact your local family violence shelter/agency or women’s resource centres to see how you can make a difference.
The Manitoba Assoc. of Women’s Shelters (MAWS) provides support, information, advocacy services and training to provincial family violence shelters & agencies. Our organization is small but we are deeply committed to centering the voices of survivors in community-based solutions to end GBV. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have worked relentlessly to ensure that Manitoba FV organizations have the resources they need to provide uninterrupted services for those seeking refuge from violence. Your support will help us to continue our work to help FV organizations and support survivors and victims of GBV.
Learn more about our work here: https://maws.verdawebdesign.ca/
Click here to donate to MAWS: https://maws.verdawebdesign.ca/helping-others/donate/
Gender-based violence and abuse can often intersect with many other experiences, such as precarious housing, unstable employment, legal concerns, lack of childcare, mental illness, and substance use dependence. Further, some groups are disproportionately affected by GBV and experience greater barriers to care, because of the systemic discrimination, racism and violence they face in society. These groups include: Indigenous women and girls; 2SLBTQQIA folks; immigrant, newcomer and refugee women; racialized women and girls.
Social support organizations provide invaluable services and care to vulnerable folks. Visit their websites and social media to learn more about their work and how you can support them.
Follow us and your local family violence shelters, agencies, and women’s resource centres to access the information we post on GBV prevention and trauma-informed practices. Share the information in your online and offline spaces – this will help anti-violence organizations reach more folks and raise awareness on GBV prevention, how to support survivors in trauma-informed ways, and Manitoba resources for those affected by violence and abuse.
Educating ourselves is one of the first steps we can take towards reducing GBV. Local family violence shelters and agencies, resource centres, and community empowerment groups that support folks who experience GBV frequently host awareness events, webinars, and panels featuring advocates doing invaluable anti-violence work in our communities. Contact your local social support and anti-violence organizations, and show your support by signing up for their events!
Workplace harassment affects nearly 70% of Canadian employees, and women tend to be disproportionately affected by abusive environments and behaviours, which include verbal abuse and humiliating behaviour. Indigenous women and girls are more likely to face violence than any other women in Canada, and their experiences of violence are compounded by settler-colonial racism.*
Statistics Canada, 2018: http://bit.ly/3Bffw3G
CBC News “Workplace harassment and violence impacts over 70% of employees in Canada, study shows”: http://bit.ly/3YicQw7
Canadian Women’s Foundation Facts about GBV: http://bit.ly/3hezeWd
MAWS is committed to providing a unified voice for those affected by GBV. We provide training, information & advocacy services to organizations that support those affected by GBV.
If your organization does work in the anti-violence sector or in an aligned sector, such as support for those experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and substance use dependence, a MAWS membership will get your organization access to our many online courses, as well as our support and advocacy services. Contact us at maws@maws.mb.ca to learn more about membership options.
Language matters. The words we use become the basis for our individual and collective perceptions and actions, which become the basis for our policies, laws, and larger systemic behaviours. The language we use to talk about gender-based violence (GBV) is critical to how everyone in our communities perceives GBV and those affected by violence. GBV is NEVER the fault of the survivor or victim of violence; yet, victim-blaming and -shaming myths abound in our society. Every time any of us uses victim-blaming or victim-shaming language, we perpetuate a larger culture of violence.
